1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement for providing an automatic insertion machine for printed circuit boards with components (e.g., IC's), which are delivered stacked in stick-like magazines and which are conveyable to the automatic insertion machine via a laterally slideable carrier.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The automatic insertion of components into printed circuit boards is known from the state of the art. IC's, particularly those designed as so called DIP-components (dual inline package), supplied stacked in stick-like magazines, are inserted into a carrier which is slideable relative to the admitting port of the automatic insertion machine so that a number of magazines may be processed successively. The insertion capacity is limited thereby by the acceptance ability of the stick magazine, and by the design of the laterally slideable carrier for accepting a series of the stick-like magazines. For technical stocking reasons the stick-like magazines have a length of approximately 50 cm.
In practice, accessibility to the actual automatic insertion machine is complicated by auxiliary conveyor means used for the loading and unloading of the printed circuit boards. For this reason, particularly with the application of robots, such prior art automatic insertion machines had to be shut down in order to replenish the stick-like magazines.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide means for increasing the component insertion capacity of an automatic insertion machine for printed circuit boards in which the components are supplied via stick-like magazines along a laterally slideable carrier device.